My Annie
by mockingjayfelicis
Summary: "I need her. I need her to come back to me so I can at least start living a semi-normal life again. I need her to pick me up off this floor and hold me and tell me everything's going to be okay. I need my Annie."
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This story was originally going to be a oneshot but I've received a few requests for it to be turned into a multi-chapter fic, and I really enjoyed writing it so that's what I'm going to do. I think I'm going to alternate between Finnick and Annie's POVs every chapter. The next chapter will be posted soon :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games. All credit goes to Suzanne Collins.**

_**Chapter One - Finnick**_

I wipe the sweat from my brow and quickly exhale. I'm sat up in bed in the deserted underground hospital ward of District 13. The clock above the door tells me that it's 3.15am. The only light is coming from a lamp on a small table beside my bed, which also holds a glass of water. I take a swig and then carelessly place it back down, sending small drops of water flying. There is a trail of thin rope in my hands that is so long it curls around several times at the foot of my bed and spills off it into a tangled mess on the floor. I've already knotted and re-knotted the entire length tonight, and I'm now on my third go. My hands are red and sore and are starting to blister, but I don't want to stop. Stopping means having to sleep, and sleep means nightmares about what they're doing to her. To my Annie.

My beautiful Annie. With her flowing red hair and glittering green eyes and flawless ivory skin. With her delicate petite frame and soft, gentle hands that I hold every day and dainty little feet that I massage every night. With her tender pink lips that kiss me good morning, goodnight, I love you. I wonder, is someone else kissing those lips right now? A strong, threatening Peacekeeper, perhaps, forcing himself onto her, pinning her down, taking everything from her...

The thought makes my jaw clench and fists tighten. I produce two more knots in a matter of seconds, pretending that the rope is President Snow's neck. Oh, how I'd love to kill that bastard. No, not just kill, kill is too kind, how I'd love to _slaughter_ that bastard, for taking her away from me, the one and only thing that kept me going, the one and only thing that gave me hope above everything else. For taking my Annie.

My sweet Annie. Who always fed our stale bread to the birds instead of throwing it away. Who helped elderly people cross the road. Who donated all her old clothes to charity, and who spent her free time working at District 4's animal rescue centre. Are they using animals to torture her? It's possible. Fierce, brutal mutts designed and created by the Capitol, clawing at her, scratching her skin until it bleeds while she lies underneath them, motionless, screaming out in pain...

I shudder at the idea and quicken the pace of my knot-tying. I'm now a quarter of the way down the rope. I want her back here, back here with me, where I know she's safe. The one person I've ever loved, and the one person I know loves me truly. Those horrific women in the Capitol say they love me, but they don't, they don't. They love my body, they love the way I'm forced to make them feel. Annie is the only person who really loves me, who knows me, who _understands _me.

She's probably locked in a freezing cold cell right now. She'll be lucky if she's wearing any clothes. My eyes sting with salty tears as I picture her curled up on a hard, stone floor, naked, shivering and crying. I want her to be sleeping next to me, with her head resting on my chest and my arms wrapped around her, protecting her from everything and everyone, the two of us snuggled up under warm, clean blankets. I want to be sleeping next to the woman I desperately hope to marry some day. Next to my Annie.

My sensitive Annie. With her traumatising flashbacks and dreams and the way she closes her eyes and covers her ears and rocks back and forward, trying to block out the painful memories. Maybe that is how the Capitol is hurting her - are they showing her footage from her Games? Are they strapping her down, forcing her to watch her District partner get decapitated over and over and over again? That's what ignited her immense fragility in the first place - witnessing the twelve year old Tribute from District 4 getting bludgeoned by a Career from One with an axe...

I let out a groan of frustration as my complicated knot snaps. I furiously shove the severed rope away from me, jump out of bed and start pacing the ward, clutching my hair with my hands.

I can hear Annie shrieking. I close my eyes. She's screaming and screaming and screaming, screaming my name, begging me to help her. I feel all my muscles twinge as my body prepares to switch into flight mode. But I can't go anywhere because I'm trapped, trapped in this stupid underground facility just as she is trapped in the Capitol.

"I'm sorry, my love," I cry, sinking to my knees. I know it's ridiculous and I know she's not here, but if I can hear her, maybe she can hear me too. "It'll be over soon, my angel, I promise. Help is coming."

I let out an animalistic wail as I fall pathetically forward and land on the white, shiny floor with a thud. I need her. I need her to come back to me so I can at least start living a semi-normal life again. I need her to pick me up off this floor and hold me and tell me everything's going to be okay. I need my Annie.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter Two - Annie**_

A deafening crash awakens me from my fitful sleep on the floor. There is shouting, roaring, fighting outside. I don't know what's happening or who's hurt.

I immediately stand up, wrap the single white sheet that I was given when my clothes were taken from me after they brought me here tightly around my body and retreat to the back wall of my cell. I slide down it and sit on the floor, hugging my knees, my eyes wide with terror, wondering what they will do to me next.

I can see shadows of punches being thrown through the dim light that shines through the metal bars in my cell door. I squeeze my eyes shut and try to disengage from my surroundings so I don't have to witness the horrible violence that's taking place a mere few feet away from me. I hear cries of pain, Peacekeepers shouting orders, doors slamming, weapons landing on the stone floor with a heavy clatter. I put my hands over my ears and start rocking back and forward, the way Finnick tells me I do when I slip away into one of my flashbacks. _Make it go away_, I plead silently. _Please, make it go away..._

I don't want to be here. I want to be back home, in District 4, with Finnick and Mags. I want to walk along the beach at sunset, holding hands with Finnick. I want to search the rock pools with him, and go paddling with him in the warm, turquoise sea. I want to play hide and seek with him in our house, I want him to chase me through all the rooms and up and down all the stairs until he catches me and we play fight on our soft, comfy bed. I want to bake cakes with Mags and then eat them, leaving some for Finnick, of course. I want us to knit more colourful squares for the big blanket we'd been working on. I want to be with my family.

There is a loud thud which snaps me out of my trance. I scream and take my hands away from my ears to cover my mouth. I'm trembling now, and tears are spilling out of my eyes.

There is another thud and I realise someone is trying to kick my cell door down. I'm too scared to make any noise now - I simply curl up as far as I can, making my body as small as possible. _Finnick, where are you? Please, Finnick, please don't let them hurt me again..._

There is a final thud and the door swings open and crashes against the solid grey wall. There's no light in the cell so I can't see who's standing in the doorway. All I know is that he's big, and strong, and holding a gun.

That is enough to make me let out a cry and fall sideways onto the cold floor. I must look hideous, wearing nothing but an old sheet with my bedraggled hair that hasn't been washed or brushed in days and a horrible, red, tear stained face. I freeze and look up at the figure, expecting him to aim his gun and shoot me right in the chest...

But he doesn't. He lowers the gun and takes a step towards me. I shriek and bring my knees up to my chin.

"Pl-please don't h-hurt me!"

"I'm not going to hurt you, Annie," the man says in a reassuring tone.

Annie. He knows my name. If he was a Capitol official he would have called me by my surname, and he definitely would've killed me by now. Who can he be?

"How... how do you know my name? Who... who are you?" I croak.

He takes a couple of small steps towards me.

"I'm a friend of Finnick's. My name's Gale. I've come to take you back to him."

There is something sincere in his slow, calm voice that makes me believe him.

"F-Finnick?" I whisper, a tiny smile stretching across my lips.

"Yeah, but we've got to get out of here, and quickly. Will you let me carry you?"

I decide at that moment that Gale can be trusted, because if he was intending to hurt me, he would have scooped me up then and there and ran off with me struggling to break free of his hold. I nod silently, and try to get up off the floor.

Gale quickly but gently grabs my waist and throws me over his shoulder in a fireman's lift. It's uncomfortable, and my head feels funny with all the blood rushing to it, but at least I feel secure.

"Hold on tight, Annie; we're going to run, okay? I'm going to get you onto our hovercraft and then I'll explain everything, I promise."

Without another word, Gale sprints out of the cell, one arm holding his gun and the other gripped around my legs. I bounce up and down as he runs faster and faster, past all the hustle and bustle and the fighting and the shouting. From my upside down postion all I can see is a collage of shapes and colours. Nasty swear words are being yelled, objects are being smashed, blood is being spattered over the floor. I can only hope that nothing hits Gale or I until we reach safety.

I tighten my grip on Gale's shirt as he bounds up a flight of stairs, lots of steep, steep stairs. He's puffing and panting, and I'm worried that I'm too heavy for him, but his grip does not loosen the slightest bit.

Cold air hits me as we escape the building that Peeta, Johanna, Enobaria and I were being imprisoned in. We're outside now, outside in the dark night. I hear a man's voice bellow from a short distance away.

"SOLDIER HAWTHORNE HAS RETRIEVED ANNIE CRESTA! I REPEAT, SOLDIER HAWTHORNE HAS RETRIEVED ANNIE CRESTA!"

"Almost there, Annie!" Gale calls. "Hold on!"

He's running down a dirt trail, some abandoned, uncared for place on the very outskirts of the Capitol. It's difficult to see, being upside down, but I can tell we're in a very large, open space, surrounded by dark, haunted looking mountains.

In a matter of seconds, Gale's feet hit a metal ramp, and we start rising. It's getting warmer and warmer, brighter and brighter. We've reached the hovercraft safely.

"Alright, put her down."

Gale slowly lifts me off his shoulder and places my feet on the ground. My sheet has loosened and I gasp as I quickly pull it up.

"We'll get you some proper clothes very soon, Miss Cresta."

Plutarch Heavensbee is standing before me, bearing a sympathetic smile. I don't understand. No. This is a trick. This is a trap! Plutarch Heavensbee, the Head Gamemaker of The Hunger Games... all the hope I had of ever being reunited with Finnick has now been extinguished. I turn around, looking for a way out of the hovercraft. But there isn't one. The ramp that Gale climbed has been pulled up and sealed into the walls. There's no escape.

"Take Miss Cresta to join the others, Soldier Hawthorne," Plutarch tells Gale. "I believe she will want some answers."

Gale nods and places his hand on my back.

"Come on," he smiles kindly.

He leads me through to a seperate compartment of the hovercraft. Peeta and Johanna are sitting there, Peeta looking stone-faced and emotionless, Johanna looking as though she has given up hope already. Her head is shaven, her eyes sunken.

"Sit down," says Gale, gesturing to an empty seat beside Johanna.

"Not until you tell me what's happening."

"Plutarch will tell you everything that's going on, don't worry..."

But Gale can't finish his sentence because at that moment, Plutarch and Haymitch Abernathy enter the compartment. I'm relieved to see Haymitch, someone I recognize, someone I trust. But that still doesn't explain why Plutarch Heavensbee, the man who is practically President Snow's second in command is here too.

"Sit down, Annie," says Haymitch. "We're going to tell you everything."

I sit. And I listen. And I cry. I don't speak.

The Capitol imprisoned Peeta, Johanna and Enobaria to try and torture information about the rebellion out of them. They imprisoned me to drive Finnick insane with worry. They let Enoboria go after a few hours because District 2 is still on the Capitol's side. They tortured Johanna with electroshocks and shaved all her hair off. They hijacked Peeta's brain to make him believe that Katniss was dangerous. Plutarch Heavensbee is not on the Capitol's side. He's the leader of the rebellion. District 12 is destroyed. District 13 is still living. That's where everyone is, and that's where we're all going.

**I don't like this chapter as much as the first one, probably because there's more action than reflection. But in the next chapter Finnick and Annie will be reunited so hopefully that will be better. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, please leave a review :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed/favourited this fic! I'm so glad it's had such a positive response. I've decided that there will be seven chapters, and at the end of each chapter I'll leave a little taster as to what will happen in the next one. I've used an original quote from Mockingjay in this chapter but I've twisted it a little bit to suit Finnick's point of view, just because I love it so much and it's one of my favourite quotes from the entire trilogy. Enjoy this chapter and please leave a review! It would be much appreciated :)**

_**Chapter Three - Finnick**_

We've been called up to the hospital. Katniss and I. This is it. They're back. My Annie is back.

We reach the hospital ward and find it's very busy. Nurses are entering and exiting, all clutching clipboards or pushing trolleys full of gleaming, silver instruments. Doctors in their blinding white coats talk to each other using langauge that I do not understand, that I do not care to understand, because all I want right now is to see my Annie again.

A bed being guided by two nurses rattles past me and is fitted into an empty space at the end of the ward. On it lies a battered and bruised looking figure with a shaved head. I squint my eyes to see who it is. Johanna. Looking emptier and more careless than I've ever seen. One of the nurses hook her up to a drip. She doesn't even flinch. The other writes Johanna's name on a small whiteboard above her bed. A doctor comes over and starts examining Johanna, flashing a small torch into her eyes, asking her to stick her tongue out, checking how strong her pulse is.

Peeta is brought into the ward, two doctors clutching tightly onto his arms. He is guided to a nearby bed and is told to sit. A nurse immediately begins steralizing a nasty, deep cut on his forehead. He inhales quickly through his teeth as the alcohol stings his wound, but he calms down after a second or two and lets the nurse get on with her job.

While it's a relief to see that Johanna and Peeta are alive and well, I don't feel completely at ease yet. Where is Annie? Did they manage to get her out? Is she still trapped in the Capitol, being tortured and terrorised by Snow's men? Was she already dead by the time they got there? If she wasn't, is she dead now?

"Finnick!"

Something between a shriek and a cry of joy interrupts my destructive train of thought. I turn around and see Annie, my beautiful, beautiful Annie standing in the doorway of the hospital. She runs towards me in nothing but a sheet.

"Finnick!"

And suddenly, it's as if there's no one in the world but us two, crashing through space to reach each other. We collide, enfold, lose our balance and slam against a wall, where we stay. Clinging into one being. Indivisable.

There is no hospital, there are no sounds. There are no doctors or nurses or patients or onlookers. Only us. My dear, sweet Annie and I, wrapped in the tightest embrace, our hearts beating as one. Nothing matters now. Nothing is wrong now. Because my Annie has come back to me, she is safe, she is alive, and I am finally free of the torment I have been enduring.

It feels like days, months, years before we break apart. She looks up at me with those glittering green eyes that tell so much more than any story ever could. They are shiny with tears, but she is smiling, so I can only assume that they are happy tears. My eyes glisten with tears as well, and I try to speak but no words come out.

Annie shakes her head.

"I know," she whispers.

She places her forehead against mine and I close my eyes. Our hands are clasped in the way that children make bridges for other children to duck under. Our chests are touching. No words are needed. She is home.

A hand is placed on my back. My eyes open. There is a doctor standing next to us.

"Annie needs to get checked over by the doctor now, Finnick." says Haymitch quietly.

"No!" I exclaim, and enclose Annie's left hand in both of mine.

"You can come too," the doctor reassures me. "If that's okay with Annie."

Annie nods without hesitation.

I smile and sigh with relief. I wrap my arm around her petite frame and follow the doctor, who's leading us over to the end of the ward, to the bed opposite Johanna's. Annie hops up onto the bed. I notice she isn't wearing any shoes, and her feet are plagued with cuts and scars.

The doctor, a middle-aged man with dark eyes and hair, closes the curtain around the bed.

"I'm going to go and fetch you a gown, Annie. I imagine it will offer you more comfort and privacy than that sheet."

Annie nods.

"Thank you," she replies in a small voice.

After he disappears back round the curtain, I take Annie in my arms again.

"I missed you so much," I whisper, kissing the side of her head.

"I missed you too, you have no idea."

"I love you, Annie."

"I love you too, Finn."

The doctor passes one of the hospital's standard paper robes to Annie and then leaves her to get changed. She slowly unwraps the sheet that has been covering her modesty for the past God knows how long, and the sight unnerves me.

Large bruises of the deepest blue, the murkiest brown and the sickliest yellow litter her ribs, stomach and legs. Her elbows and her knees are grazed, her hands are scarred just like her feet. And the small, red bumps on her neck make my skin crawl.

"Oh, Annie..." I breathe. Tears start falling silently down my cheeks.

Annie is crying now too. She sniffs and pulls the gown over her head. She clutches my hand as she leans back on the bed.

"Stay with me?" she whimpers.

"Of course, my darling."

**I hope you enjoyed that! The next chapter will be from Annie's point of view and will focus on the challenges that she faces after returning from the Capitol, i.e flashbacks, nightmares, intimacy issues, silent spells etc. So another opportunity for more Fannie fluff! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter Four - Annie**_

Where am I? I don't know, it's all a mess. It's all a horrible mess.

First I think I'm back in the arena, running literally for my life away from the other Tributes as the gong sounds at the Cornucopia and the Careers rush to get the best pick of supplies and weapons. The only thought going through my mind is _don't get killed_.

But then the trees and the Tributes disappear and I'm on a stage, I'm on a stage in front of hundreds of people, and they're all clapping.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the victor of the 70th Annual Hunger Games - Annie Cresta!"

A roar of fanatic screaming overcomes me. The audience cheer, whistle, wave, jump up and down. I've won already? That was quick.

Snow approaches me and places a simple yet expensive looking silver tiara on my head.

"Congratulations, Miss Cresta."

The sight of him is enough to change the crowd's screams into my own. I'm on the floor, I'm on a cold, stone floor and I'm screaming and screaming and screaming, unable to stand up, shaking uncontrollably. My cell in the Capitol. I'm naked and bleeding, bleeding everywhere, bleeding so fast that before I know it I'm lying in a small pool of my own blood. I don't even know where it's coming from, it could be multiple places, as I'm wounded in so many different parts of my body.

Then I hear it. The jingle of keys and the thudding of boots and the sharp click as my cell door swings open. I can't see who's standing there watching me in this distressed and embarrassing state, but I know he's not here to help me. His appearance diminishes my screams into whimpers. He takes a few steps forward and locks the two of us in the cell. He posts his large chain of keys back through the bars in the door to a guard who's standing outside, who takes them and turns around.

The first man faces me and smirks in such an evil and twisted way. He kicks his shoes off, tugs his tie over his head and unbuttons his shirt.

"Hello, beautiful," he sneers. "Are you going to show me a good time?"

Then it all changes again, and I'm back, back in the arena, but I'm not running, I'm lying on the grassy earth with my hands over my ears. My cheeks are wet with tears, and I'm making strange, animalistic noises that have no meaning whatsoever.

Then he does it. A Career from District 1. Little Luca, the 12 year old boy from my District, is lying knocked out on the ground beside me. The Career's shining silver axe lunges forward and pierces Luca's neck.

He wedges his axe back out, and I'm shrieking, begging him to stop, but he doesn't, he keeps going, keeps hacking until the arena is painted with Luca's blood and both of our faces and the blade of his axe are spattered crimson.

Now it's no longer a situation, but some sort of demonic slideshow, like a horror film I can't turn off. Snow, his men, the Career, Luca. The arena, the stage, the Capitol, my cell. People appear in places they're not supposed to be. Snow jumps out from behind a tree in the arena, and poor Luca's tiny dead body is sprawled out across a Capitol stage. A horrible blur of faces, places and voices haunt me.

"Help me, Annie! Please!"

"You played extremely well in the Games, Miss Cresta."

"Stay back, or this knife goes straight through your chest!"

"You have such a gorgeous body, Annie, and it's all mine..."

Snow, his men, the Career, Luca, the arena, the stage, the Capitol, my cell. Snow, his men, the Career, Luca, the arena, the stage, the Capitol, my cell. Snow, his men, the Career, Luca, the arena, the stage, the Capitol, my cell...

It stops for one complete second. Everything goes black, everything goes silent. Then I wake up in mine and Finnick's shared compartment in District 13.

I'm curled up in a ball, my knees touching my chest. My breathing is rapid, and I'm trembling under the sheets.

Finnick is knealing at my side of the bed. Our eyes meet.

"You were crying in your sleep," he says in a quiet, pained voice as he strokes my hair with his hand. "I tried to wake you up but I couldn't. You were screaming... and shouting things like 'please don't touch me'. Who touched you, baby?"

"S-Snow..." I whisper. "Snow and h-his men..."

Suddenly my tears start. Not just a few, silent tears. But an attack of deep, heavy sobbing.

Finnick jumps back into his side of the bed and pulls me into his arms. He's shirtless and I let my head rest against his bare chest, which is comfortingly warm. He runs his fingers through my hair and kisses my head gently, over and over again.

"It's okay now, sweetheart, it's over," he whispers.

My trembling slows down at Finnick's calming words. He's always so patient with me, always so understanding. Nothing is too much for him. That's why I admire him so much. Nothing I put him through is ever too much trouble. He'll stay up all night to comfort me after a nightmare. He won't leave my side until I return from a flashback. He's always the one who pulls my hands down from my ears, who tells me that I'm not there anymore and that nothing can hurt me now. He's always the one who nurses my wounds if I hurt myself during an episode. He's always the one who gently talks me out of a silent spell. He's always the one who's there.

"You're safe now, baby."

"I know." I reply quietly.

"You do?"

"Yeah. Cause I'm with you. And I'll always be safe so long as I'm with you."

Finnick smiles and places his head against mine.

"You're absolutely right, Annie. You're absolutely right."

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a review, I'd love it if you would and they really motivate me to keep writing! The next chapter will be from Finnick's point of view, and... HE PROPOSES! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5 - Finnick**_

I drop Annie off at today's therapy session.

"I'll come and get you afterwards, okay?"

"I can find my way back to our compartment from here, Finn, it's not that far away," she giggles.

"I know," I say quietly, bringing her hand up to my mouth and placing a gentle kiss on her soft skin. "But I'd feel better knowing you were safe."

She rolls her eyes but smiles.

"Okay," she agrees.

"See you soon."

I hug her tightly and then release her so she can enter her session.

After the door closes, I make my way to the dining hall where lunch is about to end. There are a few latecomers dotted around the large tables, finishing off their meals. Their quiet chat is drowned out by the sound of pots and pans and trays and cutlery being washed in the kitchen by Greasy Sae and the other cooks. I look around and find who I'm looking for, sitting alone at the back of the hall.

"Hey, Haymitch," I sit down across from him.

"Finnick," he responds in an almost cheerful tone, which I suppose is an achievement for Haymitch. "What can I do for you?" He's enjoying the last few spoonfuls of a bowl of soup.

"Did you get what I asked for?"

He places his spoon down and lifts a heavy looking brown sack from the seat next to him and hands it over the table to me. I take it gratefully.

"I still don't know what you could want with a roll of old fishing net," he says. "I mean, I know you're from District 4 and all but in case you haven't noticed, we are living underground here."

"You'll see, Haymitch, you'll see," I smile charmingly. "Thanks for this!"

XXX

I stroll back to mine and Annie's compartment, carrying the sack full of fishing net over my shoulder. People who recognise me give me smiles, nods, and kind words like, "It's good to see you back on your feet, Finnick!" and "Give Annie my best, won't you?" I respond politely but deep down I want nothing more than to shut myself in our compartment and get to work.

Finally I arrive. I close the door, open the sack and empty the fishing net out. I sit cross-legged on the floor and get to work.

Annie's therapy session only lasts for an hour so I have to work quickly. I tear the net into strips and begin weaving them neatly. The repetitive motions are calming. All I can think of is Annie.

Annie, Annie, Annie. My beautiful, lovely Annie. She's finally safe, she's finally home. It might not be our real home back in District 4, but it's home for now, and we have each other. We fall asleep in each other's arms, we wake up holding hands. It's what I've been dreaming of for weeks now.

A short while later, I have woven the strands of net into a bracelet small enough to fit comfortably on Annie's petite wrist. It's quite wide, about a couple of centimetres across, but it isn't done yet.

I fashion a small, chunky love heart out of the remaining net. It's tricky, but it's just about perfect after twenty minutes. I twist a tiny length of net and use it to attach the love heart onto the deep green bracelet, so the love heart is now a charm. A smile stretches across my face. I admire the finished product, satisfied with my work.

XXX

I talk to Coin and arrange special permission for Annie and I to go above ground for a short amount of time after her therapy session. She's hesitant, but after I explain what it's for, she comes round to the idea.

So, I collect Annie from her doctor's office at the scheduled time, clutching a blanket from our compartment.

"Hello," she says when she sees me.

I say nothing, but instead, wrap my arms around her and pull her into a dramatic dip, and place a passionate kiss on her tender lips. We look at each other and giggle.

"What was that for?" Annie asks as I help her back to her feet.

"Because I love you, my dear." I sigh contently, wedging the blanket underneath my arm and taking Annie's hand.

"What's the blanket for?"

"We're going outside."

"But we're not allowed!"

"We are today."

Annie peers at me and grins.

"What are you up to?" she enquires.

"No more questions, my love!" I let go of Annie's hand and wrap my arm around her slim waist. "Just trust me."

"I trust you," she smiles.

XXX

We sit outside on the blanket, surrounded by trees and meadows and flowers. The birds chirp and the sun shines and the cool breeze blows. I've chosen a spot where the ugly fences and gates aren't visible. I don't want anything to ruin this moment.

We talk. We laugh. We joke. About anything, everything. We hug, we kiss, we tickle. Just being us. No one else is here. No one else matters. Annie's joyous laughter is sweet to my ears. I decide that this is the time.

I take a deep breath.

"What's wrong?" asks Annie, looking worried.

"Nothing," I smile and shake my head. "Nothing's wrong, sweetheart."

She still doesn't look convinced.

I take a moment to prepare myself. Then I dig my hand in my pocket, and pull out the green net bracelet. Annie gasps.

"Oh, Finnick! That's beautiful! Did you make that?"

"Yeah," I smile. "I made it for you."

"For me?" Annie looks both shocked and touched.

I nod in confirmation.

"It's not just a bracelet though. It means something."

"What does it mean?"

"I..." my voice quietens and becomes more soft. "I couldn't get a ring. What with... the circumstances."

I look at Annie to judge her reaction. She's smiling and her eyes are looking lovingly at me. I decide it's safe to proceed.

"So I made you this. It's an... engagement bracelet, if you like. Annie... would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

Annie gasps again and places her hand over her mouth.

"Yes! Yes! Oh Finnick, of course I'll be your wife!"

A tear escapes from my eye as I carefully place the bracelet onto Annie's wrist. It fits perfectly.

Our arms entwine, our lips meet, and our future together is sealed.

**Hope you enjoyed that! The next chapter will be... the wedding! :) Please leave a review!**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter Six - Annie**_

Like every other girl, I often wondered what my wedding day would be like when I was little.

I dreamt of the venue, what it would look like, how grand it would be. I thought of the flowers, what colours they would be and what they would smell like. I deliberated over what dress I would choose, what style in would be and the length, too. But most of all, I dreamt of the man I would marry. The man I would spend the rest of my life with. The man who would father my children, stand by my side through thick and thin, support me, care for me, love me.

That man is Finnick. Not Finnick Odair, Victor of the 65th Hunger Games and handsome heartthrob from District 4. _My _Finnick, who is honest and loyal and brave and true. Who protects me, who looks after me, who treats me like I'm the only person in the world who matters to him. That is the man I am going to marry.

A net woven from long grass covers the two of us like a shelter. The dining hall of District 13 has been decorated in autumn foliage. I am dressed in a beautiful green silk dress that Katniss so kindly gave to me as a gift, Finnick in a smart suit of Peeta's that has been altered so it will fit him. My engagement bracelet has not been taken off since Finnick put it on my wrist. Our guests watch us in awe as we hold hands and take our vows.

"Finnick, if you could repeat after me," says Dalton.

Finnick looks into my eyes and smiles warmly. His gaze does not avert.

"I, Finnick,"

"I, Finnick,"

"Take you, Annie,"

"Take you, Annie,"

"To be my wedded wife."

"To be my wedded wife."

I bite my lip with excitement and happiness.

"To have and to hold,"

"To have and to hold,"

"From this day forward,"

"From this day forward,"

"For better or for worse,"

"For better or for worse,"

"For richer or for poorer,"

"For richer or for poorer,"

"In sickness and in health,"

"In sickness and in health,"

"For as long as we both shall live."

"For as long as we both shall live."

There is silence as Finnick dips his forefinger into the bowl of warm salt water in front of us, and places it to my lips. I hear a sniff - some guests are crying.

Our hands find each other again.

"Annie, if you could repeat after me," says Dalton.

I look at Finnick.

"I, Annie,"

"I, Annie,"

"Take you, Finnick,"

"Take you, Finnick,"

"To be my wedded husband."

"To be my wedded husband."

Finnick's eyes glisten with tears.

"To have and to hold,"

"To have and to hold,"

"From this day forward,"

"From this day forward,"

"For better or for worse,"

"For better or for worse,"

"For richer or for poorer,"

"For richer or for poorer,"

"In sickness and in health,"

"In sickness and in health,"

"For as long as we both shall live."

"For as long as we both shall live."

Then I place my forefinger into the same bowl of warm salt water, and place it to Finnick's quivering lips.

"You may now kiss your bride," Dalton concludes happily.

It's not a dramatic kiss. It's not a sexy kiss. It's not a kiss that says, "Undress me," or, "Take me to bed." It says, "I love you." Pure and simple. That is all that needs to be said.

An overwhelming sense of joy manifests amongst everyone. There is eating, drinking, dancing, singing, and congratulating.

Our cake is stunning, and obviously made by Peeta. A beautiful blue-green colour, like the sea, with white-tipped waves made from icing. There is a display of bright fish, sea-flowers, sailboats and seals crafted from marzipan. It is a gorgeous representation of home, and something I will be forever thankful to Peeta for.

The celebrations carry on until the early hours of the morning. But Finnick never lets go of my hand for the entire night. When we talk to people, we talk as one. Just as we will spend the rest of our lives.

Finally, the hall starts to empty, as people leave to go to bed. Part of me is sad because this is the best day of my life and I don't want it to be over. But most of me is ecstatic, because this is only the first day of being married to Finnick. I have every day of the rest of my life to go.

Finnick slips his arm around me.

"Is Mrs Odair ready to go to bed?"

I can't help but giggle. Mrs Odair. Finnick and Annie Odair. Perfect.

"She certainly is."

We reach the start of the corridor containing the door to our compartment when Finnick stops and lifts me up into his arms. I accidentally squeal and slap my hand over my mouth.

"Ssh!" Finnick whispers as we both laugh quietly. "You'll wake everyone up!"

"Sorry, Mr Odair," I smile, pressing a kiss to his lips.

"That's alright, Mrs Odair," he grins back.

He carries me into our compartment and kicks the door closed behind him.

**Thanks to everyone who has left a review! I really appreciate every review I get, so please keep them coming! I'm not going to leave a hint regarding what's happening in the final chapter, because I want it to be a surprise :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**So this is the seventh and final chapter of My Annie! I can't believe this fic was originally going to be a oneshot. Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed/favourited/added to alerts. I didn't leave a hint about this chapter at the end of the last one because I wanted it to be a surprise, so I hope no one is disappointed! x**

_**Chapter Seven - Finnick**_

"Come on, Annie, push!" I encourage as she squeezes my hand.

She pants twice but then closes her eyes and concentrates on pushing. My hand is numb but I wouldn't dream of ever releasing it from Annie's hold. She needs me now more than ever.

"That's it, Annie, you're almost there!" exclaims Mrs Everdeen. "A few more big pushes and baby will be here!"

Annie exhales deeply as the contraction passes. She leans back against her propped up pillows and lets her head loll to the side. Her face is shiny with sweat, her fringe is damp and sticking to her forehead, but I have never seen her look more beautiful. She's about to give birth to our baby, our first ever baby that she and I made together, created from love.

"I'm so tired," she whispers, looking at me. She's breathless and weak. I stroke her head with my free hand.

"I know, my love, I know you're tired," I say in a sympathetic voice. "But you can do it, okay?"

Annie nods and closes her eyes, preparing herself for the next imminent contraction. It pains me to see her in such agony, knowing that there's nothing I can do to take any of her physical stress away.

"Alright, Annie, we're going to push for ten. Are you ready? Go!"

Mrs Everdeen starts counting to ten, keeping an eye on what's happening underneath the sheet covering Annie's knees, and I kiss Annie's head with every beat, so by the time the contraction is over, Annie has received ten kisses from me.

"Baby's head is almost out!" Mrs Everdeen calls from the end of the bed. "When you feel the urge to push, just go for it."

A couple of seconds pass before Annie's grasp on my hand tightens again and she bites her lip.

"That's it, sweetheart, push! Really hard, go on! You can do this, Annie, I know you can do this!"

She lets out a small scream. I panic as this is the first time she's made any sort of noise since her waters broke.

"Little pushes, now, Annie, little pushes!" Mrs Everdeen instructs.

Annie does as she is told and within seconds, she begins whimpering. I only wish there was something I could do to relieve her pain.

"Baby's head's out! One more push, Annie, and then he or she will be born!"

A wave of excitement rushes over me. Annie is smiling too, looking up at me.

"You hear that, Annie? One more, honey, just one more!"

"One more..." she repeats breathlessly, closing her eyes. Any second now.

Another yelp of pain escapes Annie's mouth and I kiss her head again to remind her that I'm here. It seems to do the trick as the cry subsides. She pushes, and pushes, and pushes, until...

"It's a boy!"

The sound of a baby's cry fills the room. I immediately burst into tears. My baby. My son. My son has been born!

"Is he okay?" Annie gasps as Mrs Everdeen wraps him up in a warm towel and starts wiping him down.

"He's perfect! Ten fingers and ten toes," she beams.

Annie immediately flops back onto the bed and starts crying too. Her smile stretches from ear to ear. I place my hand on her head and whisper to her.

"You did so good, darling! I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you," she whispers back. We share a loving kiss.

"Alright, I think someone wants his mummy!" says Mrs Everdeen.

Annie scrambles to get up and I help her into a sitting position. I perch on the edge of the bed, my arm around Annie, as Mrs Everdeen carefully hands our baby over to her.

Our son stops crying instantly when he is placed in his mother's arms. A fresh load of tears escape from both of us.

"Hello, sweetheart!" says Annie. "Welcome to the world."

I take a good look at my son. Tiny and adorable. A few tufts of sandy hair. Sea blue eyes. Pale, flawless skin. My baby. Who will one day grow into a man, who will fall in love and experience this day just as I did. Then I look at Annie, cradling him in her arms. My love. My wife. The mother of my child. My Annie.


End file.
